1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an information processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus, a program-initiation error processing method and a recording medium, and more specifically to a program-initiation error processing method for performing an error processing when initiating a program read from a recording medium, and to an information processing apparatus, an image forming apparatus and a recording medium, which use the program-initiation error processing method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An information processing apparatus, such as a personal computer, carries out various kinds of information processing by performing one or more programs corresponding to respective information processing procedures.
Moreover, an image forming apparatus (for example, a multi-function peripheral system), which is an application example of the information processing apparatus, is provided with the display unit, the printing unit, the image pickup unit, etc., which are accommodated in a single housing, in addition to the four kinds of programs corresponding to the printer, the copier, the facsimile, and the scanner, respectively. By selecting one of the programs, the multi-function peripheral system is operated as the selected one of the printer, the copier, the facsimile, and the scanner.
Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2002 -084383 discloses an example of the multi-function peripheral system mentioned above.
Upon power-up of the multi-function peripheral system or the like, the BIOS (basic input/output system) and the boot loader are started. The boot loader expands the kernel and the root file system on the RAM (random access memory), and initiates the kernel. The kernel mounts the root file system. The “mounting” herein means that a file system, a peripheral device, etc. are started so that the file system or peripheral device can be accessed by another system or device.
After the startup of the kernel, the bootstrap which starts an application program (which is called the application) is started. The bootstrap is a process which is first started by the information processing apparatus or the multi-function peripheral system.
The bootstrap mounts the file system according to a predetermined configuration file. The bootstrap starts the program, which is required for operation of the information processing apparatus or the multi-function peripheral system and recorded in a program-initiation recording medium, such as a hard disk drive (HDD), according to the predetermined configuration file.
In recent years, there is an increasing demand for a system that can easily initiate a program of the information processing apparatus or the multi-function peripheral system from the program-initiation recording medium, such as a SD (secure digital) card.
The addition of a new program to the above-mentioned program-initiation recording medium may be carried out through the network, such as the Internet or a LAN. Moreover, the addition of a new program to the program-initiation recording medium may be carried out by using an SD card which is a detachable recording medium the insertion and removal of which is possible.
The user can make use of the program which is added to the program-initiation recording medium, in any information processing apparatus or multi-function peripheral system. Hence, there is a possibility that the program may be illegally added to a program-initiation recording medium which is provided in the information processing apparatus or the multi-function peripheral system which is not authorized to add the program thereto.
Moreover, when a program is added to a program-initiation recording medium using a detachable program-addition recording medium, such as an SD card, the insertion and removal of which is possible, the program recorded in the program-addition recording medium can be also used with any information processing apparatus or multi-function peripheral system. There is also a possibility that the program may be illegally added to a program-initiation recording medium which is provided in the information processing apparatus or the multi-function peripheral system which is not authorized to add the program thereto.
Therefore, when adding the program to the program-initiation recording medium of the information processing apparatus or the multi-function peripheral system, the provision of a mechanism for preventing the program added to the program-initiation recording medium from being illegally used is demanded, in order to establish the security of the program.